Trapped
by RunwithscissorsXXXbattlescars
Summary: Love - what is it? Is it a feeling to be welcomed, a feeling that brings two people together in happiness? Or is it a key to despair, sucking one into a vortex of lonliness, unrequited feelings, and friendzoning? Giroro doesn't quite know. He's still in denial. *author-with-bias warning, also needs serious editing*


**Old fanfic, new A/Ns. Yeah.**

**As long as I'm here, you guys want to hear a funny story? So, the first time I used the Doc Manager, I thought "label" meant its file type, so for my first story and this one, I had to write "Microsoft Office Word document." Then I got confused because it wouldn't let me have two of those same story types. Ppfht, what did it want me to do, write it on NotePad or something?**

**...Sorry. Truth of the matter is, I like NotePad.**

**Uh. I don't own this series. Now, here we go!**

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><p>It is a cool day in summer. Trees sway slowly in the planet's air currents as the cosmos dance along with them. Miss Furbottom is playing with a pinecone dangling from a branch since I'm already occupied. The metal of my gun makes a slight squeak as I give it a seven hundred nineteenth clean wipe with a swathe of cotton cloth. You can't clean your guns with a rough material, after all. Only four more strokes to go. The sun shines brightly, but a consistent breeze keeps me cool. It's what I'm best at. Being cool.<p>

Ack! No, what am I thinking? I can't be cool. I don't have time for that. My only priority is to invade, so invade I shall. I wish. But it's not going to happen. If Keroro only puts his mind to it, this blasted planet will have already been ours. I hesitate giving my gun the next wipe, a sinking feeling descending upon me. Because deep down, someplace I've hoped to evade, I know that Keroro isn't the problem with our invasion…. No, of course he is. To admit that I have a flaw… well, plural… that is beyond me. As long as this soldier's living, I shall remain flawless!

The seven hundred twenty-second wipe. The suspense is nearing. I can feel it coming. Long ago, I made up the system. If, every day, I give one of my guns seven hundred twenty-three wipes in a row to clean it, I'm sure the Pekopon invasion'll be a cinch. It's almost become an OCD, but I'm used to it. Only a minor flaw on my part, maybe, but—

Crap, I've done it again. _Why_ must I prove myself wrong?

I sigh, my shoulders slumping. Miss Furbottom becomes bored of the pinecone dangling off the tree and saunters over to me, rubbing her furry cheek against the back of my red hand. At least _she_ thinks I'm flawless. Or at least, that's what I tell myself, but I know it's not true.

Ah, well, I won't worry about that for now. I bend forward, stroking Miss Furbottom gently on the head. She starts purring. _That's right, Giroro,_ I tell myself. _Nice, easy thoughts. Keep doing that._ I exhale and pet her some more. A picture forms in my head. Gray skies, with a hint of red streaking across it. The color of blood. I am on a battlefield, shooting enemies. The air smells like death and I inhale it deeply, a spirit of fighting arousing within my soul. One by one the enemies fall like dominoes as the bullets from my gun obliterate them. Yes, that's right. Soon the Pekoponians will be just like this. Invading… how I long for it.

But now my thoughts are changing. The enemies now have faces, and before I know it, I'm shooting down the people I know. But only one face matters.

"Giroro!" Natsumi cries, my bullets and grenades pummeling her body.

_No!_ I think, but it's too late. The life escapes from her body, and she falls to the hard ground of the battlefield. "NATSUMI!" I shriek, screaming for her to hear me, but there's no answer. I toss aside my gun and run to her, panting deeply as I try to smother my choking-like sobs. When I've gotten to her, my legs give way and I collapse onto her body, bawling. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry—"

I shake my head frantically, washing away the despairing imagery. It was only a stupid fantasy. Then I stop to think. I guess it _will_ have to happen someday. After all, I am a soldier. Wait, no! I'd never let that happen! Miss Furbottom gets startled and scampers off. I will never kill Natsumi! Not on _my_ nonexistent watch! My gun falls out of my lap, but I make no attempt to pick it up. Instead, I need something to cheer me up from that awful thought. My eyes turn to someone with a dorky yellow hat walking past the Hinata house, humming to himself off-key as he toys with the earplug from his iPod. I smirked, letting my eyes fall shut. Perfect.

I'm on the battlefield again, the same one, only this time, Natsumi isn't there. In her place is Saburo, armed only with the magic pen Kululu bestowed on him for some reason I may never figure out.

"Interesting choice of weapon," I offer, trying my best to hide my laughter.

"Thanks. But I do think pink would work better for me," says Saburo, taking a look at his pen.

I roll my eyes. "I was being sarcastic."

"Oh…." I watch as he struggles to search his mind for a good comeback, but that won't do, since there isn't anything in his mind to begin with. "Well, let's get this party started!"

I hoist my machine gun to my shoulder. "Imbecile! This is no party, it's a battle!"

"Oh, yeah. So, I'm assuming they don't serve punch at battles, huh," Saburo says, crestfallen.

Groaning at this jerk's idiocy, I respond, "Bingo."

Saburo claps his hands together. "Ooh, I love that game! Battles are so fun."

"Good, I'm glad you think that. Because you're going to lose this one." The finger on my right hand moves to the trigger of the machine gun, while my left unplugs the stop for a grenade. "Bye, loser." I fling it at him, just as the machine gun goes off. Saburo squeals in fear and tries to scramble away, but he trips on a rock. His head blows off his shoulders and bounces to the ground. Frantically, the rest of his body whips out a piece of paper and scribbles down the word "shield." But he misspells it as "sheild," and dies off. I take the machine gun off of my shoulder, chuckling. I break out into uncontrollable laughter, evil mockery at my one rival I have defeated.

But no, only in my dreams. I stare disappointedly at the real Saburo, making an attempt to whistle while trying to lick ice-cream that he stole from a little girl. She starts crying. A sigh escapes my mouth. Yeah, it's a long shot.

I'm caught off-guard as the glass door behind me slides open, and out steps two long, slender legs. I try my hardest not to ogle at their sexiness. I'd know those legs anywhere, what with being half her height. My eyes wander up to her face, as she tosses her head into the breeze and the wind lifts her pink pigtails into the air. A perfect picture.

"Ah, it's so hot in there," Natsumi breathes. "It's much cooler outside."

"N-Natsumi, what brings y-you out here?" I turn away, trying to look cool, but the real reason is to hide the blush on my face.

The girl of my dreams sends me a look that indicates I'm crazy. And I am. Over her. "It's my house, space toad. I go where I choose."

"O-Of course you do," I say. And mentally add, _You know, if you choose my tent, I'd be fine with that._

She hums quietly to herself, taking in the breeze. I watch her lovingly, like I always do when she isn't looking. But sometimes she is, which is a problem. For me.

"Oh, Saburo-senpai!" she gasps, noticing him by our house. "Ohmigosh, Saburo-senpai is, like, ten feet away from me! Wowwww!" She cups her cheeks in her slender hands, gushing.

"Tch," I growl, accidentally snapping the stick I was holding. Oh, wait, that wasn't a stick. That was one of my missile launchers. Oops….

Natsumi rushes up to the Saburo, cutting past me. "Saburo-senpai! Would you like to come in?"

He turns to her, like he didn't notice she was there before. "Oh… uh…"

_I dare you to say yes,_ I threaten in my thoughts. _But I'm warning you, if you do, that missile launcher won't be the only thing to crack in half today._

Saburo smiles. It makes me want to kill him even more. "…sure. I'd love to poke around your hou—I mean, spend… time… and your money… uh, with you."

I can just see the hearts bursting out of Natsumi's eyes. "Yaaaaaay! I mean—uh, um, right this way, Saburo-senpai!"

_NO!_ I bring my fist down on the concrete weight next to me, splitting it into tiny shards. How could he have accepted? I swear, I will murder that guy for seducing Natsumi's soul.

_Don't worry, my love, I will save you,_ I silently promise her. I'd better stalk them just to make sure Saburo doesn't make a mess of her house or anything.

After taking to my hovercraft, I press my hands up against the living room window, invisible—I hope—to all. Saburo and Natsumi are sitting side-by-side on the sofa. Together. _Together._ The vile word burns into my mind. I will have to split them apart.

As I begin formulating a plan in my mind, Natsumi starts speaking to Saburo. "It's awfully hot in here, don't you think?" she asks, blowing herself with a fan. She gets up. "Would you like me to turn the A/C up?"

"No, no, you don't have to do that." He grips her wrist, bringing her back down onto the sofa. "I kinda like it. Nice and spicy, don't you think?"

_He touched her! He touched her! He touched her!_ I'm screaming in my mind. How dare he touch MY Natsumi! She doesn't belong to him! I screamed for real this time.

"Did—did you hear something, Saburo-senpai?" she asks. Crap. She heard me. I'll have to be quieter the next time I scream.

"No, I didn't hear anything. Nothing… but the voices in my head telling me to make out with you passionately for no apparent reason," he tells her.

I scream again. WHAT THE H#$? Only I'M allowed to do that! And I thought only _I_'m the one that hears voices! My hand moves into the air as a gun materializes in it, even though my weapon stash is right behind me in my tent.

"Wait, don't shoot!" someone says. I roll my eyes, recognizing the voice only too well. Speak of the devil—er, angel. My blasted shoulder angel pops up before me, dressed in a white gown.

"Yeah? Give me one reason I shouldn't," I say. (Amazing. All this time passed and Saburo STILL hasn't kissed Natsumi! Thank god.)

"Because if Saburo and Natsumi get together, then you'll be able to invade! And don't you want that? Yaaay! Happy day!" It dances irritatingly around my head.

"Have you ever considered that I don't WANT them to get together?" I ask it. Him. Her. You know, I'm not sure _which_ gender the angel is.

"Of course you do. Deep deep deep deep deep down, you want them both out of the way so you can be free to take over this planet! And enslave them all! Wheeeeee!" The angel speaks so happily that I can't help but wrap my fist around it and crush its pitiful body.

"Of course. Now sleep," I snarl.

The devil is the next one to appear.

"Must you two _always_ haunt me?" I yell.

"Unfortunately, yeah. But don't worry, I'm not the one you hate." The devil gestures to the angel's carcass with his pointy fork-like thing. "_He_ is."

"Tell me something I don't already know," I say.

The devil rubs his chin. "Well, for starters, Saburo's moving in on Natsumi's personal space in slow motion. But that slow motion won't last for long, Giroro."

My eyes burst open. "He's WHAT?"

"So you'd better think of something to do, and quick," he says. "But that's why I'm here."

"Okay, okay, I'm listening," I say frantically.

"Before they kiss, push Saburo out of the way and jump in front of Natsumi. That way, you'll be the one to kiss her," he directs.

"…I don't think so. Not after the last time I tried to do that," I remind him.

That shuts him up. Because the last time Saburo was about to kiss Natsumi, I did the same thing. But at the last minute, Saburo pushed Natsumi out of the way and took the kiss. And I don't think it was for Natsumi's sake…. I shudder in the memory of how I lost my fisrt kiss.

"Okay, then, I'm outta here," the devil says, vanishing. And I am left to fret over my next move on Natsumi's part.

Oh, crap…. How much time has passed? Because now, Saburo is on top on Natsumi, their lips almost touching. I clench my hand over my gun, trembling in rage.

"Oh, Saburo-senpai… I didn't know you felt that way about me," I hear Natsumi whisper. I feel steam blow off my head.

"Nah, it's nothing personal. This is what I usually do to people when I meet them," says Saburo.

Another scream escapes me. I crash through the window heroically, coming to the rescue of my loved one. The glass cuts through various parts of my skin and draws blood, which catches the light and sparkles as I fly through the air, guns in hands. But I am too late. Their lips have already touched.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I scream, firing at random. Only a few of the bullets catch Saburo and take him down.

"Oh, no! My beloved Saburo-senpai!" Natsumi gasps, dropping to the ground to tend to him. "Look, you got blood on your cheek." She bends over to kiss the blood off. This only makes me scream louder. _How dare you, Saburo! Hypnotizing Natsumi to make her do your freakin' bidding!_

"Don't worry, sweetie! I'll save you!" I yell to her. My hands move to Saburo's neck to strangle him. I can't decipher the look on Natsumi's face.

Suddenly, I am in the backyard. Natsumi sticks her head out of the window above my head. "Um… was that you screaming just a second ago?" she wonders. She scowls absentmindedly. "And who's this 'sweetie' person of yours?"

_Well, this is awkward._ "Uh… wha?" I ask, rubbing the back of my neck. I peer past her into the house. Saburo is sitting on the sofa, but Natsumi isn't there with him. No trace of broken glass, stray bullets, or blood, either. I breathe a sigh of relief. Could it all have been my imagination?

"You're weird," is all Natsumi says. She shuts the window.

"Wait! I—" I have nothing to say. Nothing but, Whatever happens, don't let Saburo kiss you. This doesn't guarantee that I won't watch them, though. I still have to watch over my beloved.

Saburo's time in the Hinata's house ends quickly, as does his safety. I have to make sure Natsumi isn't present while I slaughter him, though. Luckily she's preoccupied with beating up my commander, most likely for slacking off on his housework. My arm delights in hacking up Saburo's limbs all the while. Careful not to be found out, I hide the body in the closet of one of the Kissho Middle School classrooms, and pity whoever will be next to open that door.

I return to the backyard, only to find it being occupied by someone. Someone hot.

"N-Natsumi?" I say. "Wh-what are _you_ doing here?"

"Hey, I can lax out in my own backyard, can't I?" she says, her beautifully seductive tone ringing through my ears, wherever they are.

"Stop it," I mutter, because I want her to stop seducing me. It hurts, but only because I know she isn't mine. Yet.

"Stop what?" she asks innocently, her eyes locking on mine. Those beautiful, brown eyes. I can't help but stare right into them, wondering what she must be thinking. "Stop sitting in the back doorway? If you want me to go back into that heated mess, you'll find that's not gonna happen."

"I know, baby," I tell her, then cover my mouth. "I mean, s-s-slave."

She turns her head toward me. She had been staring at a ladybug. "Huh? Say something, Giroro?"

"N-No." I swallow hard. Oh, god, I love it when she says my name.

Natsumi flips her eyes to her watch. "Guess I'd better be going now. Gotta make dinner for Fuyuki and the stupid frog. Later, toad."

"Later—" I have to resist the urge to add at the end the word sweetie, honey, baby, beloved, darling, sweetheart, my love, or precious. It takes all I can muster.

As I look up at the sky, trying to suppress certain… thoughts, I notice that the sun is starting to set. I'd better start making sweet potatoes soon, to lure Natsumi back. It always gets her. I'll just have to start cooking them before a really pretty sunset comes and she misses it. That way, it'll be more romantic.

For a moment, the thought sickens me—or I wish it did. No, I can't be doing this. It's not my place as a soldier to be cooking sweet potatoes for the enemy and sitting by the fire. It's not meant to be; we're on opposite sides of the battle. But… how I long to sit close to her in front of that bonfire, watching her, as she watches the sunset while eating a sweet potato I made with love for her.

She takes a bite from the food, smiling. "You always make the best sweet potatoes, Giroro!"

"Only when I make them for you," I tell her.

"And the sunset is so beautiful. This was the perfect time to start making sweet potatoes," she says.

"I always have perfect timing," I say, even if it's half a lie. My timing is usually thrown off by Keroro. "But I'm never late when it comes to you, my love."

Natsumi giggled. I savored its musical sound. "You're so funny, Giroro!"

"Funny?" My heart sinks. Why funny?

"I like you better when you're not acting all soldierly. It's cute," she says.

"Y-you think I'm cute?" My cheeks grow redder than they usually are. "Since I'm a soldier, usually I wouldn't be flattered by that, but…. "

" , indeed," says Natsumi, inching closer. I inch closer as well. Natsumi continues nibbling the sweet potato as silence creeps by, but neither of us notice. The only thing that matters to me at the moment is how close I am to N-N-N-Natsumi…. Before I know it, I've melted. But Natsumi brings me back into reality by asking, "Is it worth it?"

"What? Who? Worth what?" I say.

"Your invasion."

"What about it?"

She finishes her sweet potato. "Don't tell me you're invading… like _this_." She guestures to me, and I'm wondering what's wrong. Have I lost my belt again? "Oh, you know what I mean." No, I really don't. "You wouldn't really invade _me_, now, would you?"  
>I pause, because she's right. I never would. "I—I can try," I say.<p>

"But I'm not the one that's been invaded." The tone of Natsumi's voice suggests it's aimed… at me.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Giroro…" She looks me in the eye, and I try not to freak out that we're at first base. "Someone's invaded you, haven't they?"

My pupils shrink, but I remind myself I have to keep looking cool. I take a deep breath and swallow hard. "P-Perhaps. Is it that big of a deal?"

"I think the question you should be asking is, Is it that noticeable," she corrects.

My head darts to her. "H-h-how—?"

"Don't try to keep secrets from me, Giroro," she says to me in that sweet tone. My heart starts beating rapidly and I hope she can't hear it. "I know what you're like."

"Y-you d-d-d-do?" I try and say without stuttering. And fail.

She nods. The next thing she says catches me off-guard. "Are you a good kisser?"

I blink incomprehensively. "What?"

"I said, Are you a good kisser?"

My eyes return to their normality, and I feel an odd wave of confidence rolling over me. "I guess we'll just have to find that out, baby."

"Oh, I'd like to," she agrees.

"Allow me to treat you to something sweet potatoes can't offer," I tell her.

She giggles and plays with my hair that isn't there. "Let's see about that."

I nod. "We will."

I jump onto her in a kiss, and immediately my arms find their way around her. She holds my small body in her beautiful hands, and I examine all around her lips with my lips. Small sounds of delight escape her, but we've just begun. My fingers wander through her hair and find her neck, which I set my hand against as the feelings I've kept stored up for so long begin to unravel all at once. Soon, my feeling aren't the only things to unravel, as—

I stop myself as I realize I've been acting out my fantasy with an air-Natsumi. …Yeah, I'd better begin making those sweet potatoes.

I step inside my tent and carefully select the prettiest sweet potato I can find. Turning it in my hands, I inspect it for any imperfections. There are none. I turn to both sides, making sure the coast is clear, then open a hidden compartment in my stash of sweet potatoes. I caught Natsumi trying to steal them once and I can't have her doing that. Because if she does, how am I supposed to get closer to her? I pull up a lever that hides away the spices I sometimes use. Normally I wouldn't put them in, but a few spices would be a nice touch with the sunset. And I'm sure Natsumi will like it. Plus, if I add some spice, the aroma will go anywhere. I split the sweet potato open and add some.

I take another sweet potato from the box and head back to my bonfire that has died while I was having my… fantasy… and plant the sweet potatoes within the ashes. Natsumi won't want an open fire in the middle of summer. Then I wait for the smell to rise.

It doesn't take long for Natsumi to come crashing through the back door. "Are you making sweet potatoes again, Giroro?" she says in one breath.

I start off in a lie, just so she can become more desperate. "What? Of course not." Then I add under my breath, but loud enough for her to hear, "None for you, at least." Which is a lie. Because the whole point of this continuous routine is always for the same reason: to woo her. I clench my fist. And it never works! Somehow she falls for the sweet potatoes, not me! _Why_?

Lying was a bad idea. Natsumi walks over to me, in a way that indicates I'm completely under her control (which I am), and bends over to face me, hands on her knees. "Awwww…. _Please_, Giroro?"

I try to make eye contact with her, only to find that my eyes have wandered to a more curious place down her shirt. I shake my head furiously, trying to get a grip of things, and ashamed of myself for being so perverted. But when I do finally find her eyes, I know at once it was a bad choice to lie to her. Now she's more desperate than ever, and those beautiful brown eyes—oh, god, those lovely eyes—are glistening are staring at me like I'm her parent or something, and a the most horrible one in the universe at that, because I won't let her have her puppy. I soon discover that it's the hardest thing in the world not to melt in sight of those eyes. I sigh, not in exasperation, but just because I'm lost in another fantasy of running off with my love to live by the sea. In a carrot house. …Okay, maybe not the last part. Still, I steam with the images in my mind. Quite literally.

"Um… Giroro? Are you awake?" Natsumi asks, snapping me back into reality. "Wow. Is it just me, or is it getting hotter than usual?"

Oh, yeah, she's very hot. Oh, wait. That's not what I'm supposed to be thinking. I blink once, give my head another shake, and then tell myself it would probably be better if I nod. So I do. And I try to avoid the last question. "Yeah, I'm… fine, *cough, cough, sweetie*. I mean—uh… um… well…." Crap. I'm in a tangled mess again. As a last resort, I shove a stick into the ashes of my bonfire and bring it up into Natsumi's face as the sweet potato I made for her is on it. "Here. Eat. It's for you…" my darling. Of course, I didn't add that.

"Really? Aw, thanks, Giroro! You're the best!" she says with a smile. I can't help but smile myself, seeing her smile. Something that I would throw aside my invasion for in the blink of an eye. Natsumi bites into the sweet potato and makes a sound of delight. "This is delicious!" She gives me a pat on the head. I give in to her touch and melt.

"Ah, look at that pretty sunset," Natsumi breathes. "Did you notice it, Giroro?" She turns to me. "Giroro."

I'm in the perfect spot. I bet I can do anything now. I have Natsumi in my grasp; she is all mine. But somehow, for some reason, I can't grip her hard enough. She's slipping away, slowly. I don't know why, so I hold fast—

"Why are you holding my hand all of a sudden?" says Natsumi.

Naturally, I respond, "● ● ●," and blush like heck. I force myself, and it's hard, to let go.

"N-Natsumi, d-do y-y-you…" I take a deep breath, cursing myself for having to stutter at a moment like this. "…what do you feel about me?" I shout.

Natsumi looks shocked, like she didn't expect me to ask such a thing. "What do you mean, Giroro?"

I'm silent, finding I have no idea. What could it have been that I was going to say? Was I going to confess my love? No, I wasn't. I can't do that. Then what? Was this all a dream? I suddenly remember what I was going to say, so I open my mouth so speak, but no sound is forthcoming. The rapid beating of my heart has drained me of all oxygen and I find I am unable to speak. All thoughts evacuate my head except for the one word that chants itself over and over, echoing through the chasm in my brain. _Natsumi. Natsumi. Natsumi. Natsumi. Natsumi. Natsumi._ Over and over. _Natsumi. Natsumi. Natsumi._ I'm Natsumi-crazy. All I want to do at this moment is just stare at her, unblinking, as she tries to reason what I meant by _What do you feel about me._

And then it comes. The answer. No, not hers. Mine. My answer to my question. Or rather, a more elaborative question. It comes out as a whisper, trickling over my trembling lips that long to smack themselves against hers. I take a deep breath and gulp. "Do you love me?"

I don't know how I ever said it. But I did.

Natsumi stares at me. She blinks, which fascinates me, because I cannot seem to do so at the moment. I watch like a hawk as her lips part—oh, those lips that I so want to kiss—and a sound begins to come out. Words, I think. I can't really tell because the only thing I'm thinking of at the moment is _I want to kiss her. I want to kiss her. I want to kiss her!_

Finally, my mind centers and I begin to process what she's saying. Four words.

"I do love you, Giroro."

Never mind, that was five. She closes her mouth again, a smile in her eye… if that's possible. But I'm smiling too, and at last I find my legs can move. My mind completely shuts off and my heart begins to lead me. No longer jelly, my legs force me to rush to Natsumi, into her arms. Before I'm aware of where I am and what I'm doing, I knock her over just as she begins to open her mouth again. "As a fr—"

She doesn't finish. I don't let her. My lips press against hers and she quiets. I don't know what she was about to say, but it must have not been very important, because before long, she's kissing back. I have no idea whether or not she knows what she's doing, and frankly it doesn't matter. The world around me blows away, and it's just me, just me and Natsumi, as I make sweet potatoes obsolete. I can't see her reaction, because my eyes are closed, but I can tell from the way she's kissing me that she enjoys it.

I'm not the one to pull away. It's Natsumi. "What am I doing here on the ground?" she wonders. I guess she doesn't remember anything. Good. I breathe a sigh of relief. "And… why are you on top of me, Giroro?"

I freeze, blushing. Oops… I forgot about that. "Uh… hey, look! It's Fuyuki making a fool out of himself!"

Natsumi turns in the direction my finger goes in. "Damn it! Not again. Where?" This gives me enough time to painstakingly detach myself from her and stand up.

"Oh, I guess that was just Mickey Mouse again," I lie. "Anyway… were you about to say something?"

Natsumi furrows her eyebrows and tilts her head to the sky slightly, as if to remember. "Was I…? Oh, yes. I remember now."

"Yes?" I gasp intently. This is the moment. This is the moment where we confess our love to each other. Oh, god, how long I've waited for this day, through years and years… okay, maybe only around three… of daydreams and fantasies. This is where she becomes mine.

"I was going to say," she tells me, looking joyful. "I do love you, Giroro."

I shriek mentally in delight. She loves me! She loves me! She really does! This is the greatest moment of my life. I would fall over in happiness, but that might not look very impressive for a soldier.

"I do love you." Natsumi nods her head. "As a friend."

I freeze in shock. What did she just say…?

"Well, thanks for the sweet potato, Giroro. It was better than usual. See ya!" she calls, heading back into the house.

_Oh, that wasn't the sweet potato you're tasting, my love,_ I would think, but I can't. I'm frozen, cold and stone, from her last words. Well, the ones before the stuff about sweet potatoes. I shatter, falling onto the grass in a million pieces. She rejected me. I humiliated myself. I should be moving on. But I just… can't. I'm stuck. Stuck in thoughts about her. There is nothing I can do. Except for one thing. I begin laughing, an evil chuckle that rises into and insane cackle, irrelevant to any emotion I may be experiencing. I can't go on. Not like this. I was wrong about wanting to invade. There's seriously no way it's going to happen. It's impossible. This is the burden I've brought on myself, the curse, the punishment for falling in love. I am beaten. I am lovesick.

I am trapped.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh boy. I really need to edit this soon. Eh... maybe after I finish up Pekopon Revolution or something, I'll think about it.<strong>


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